


"Why?"

by Zonerz



Series: Infinite Post-Forces [5]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Its ya bois, Other, Sorry this went from serious Infinite stuff to self indulgent trash lmao, hope yall still like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zonerz/pseuds/Zonerz
Summary: After escaping the Zone Cops yet again, Infinite's fed up with Erik beating around the bush and being vague. If Finn's past is all on the table and common knowledge, shouldn't Erik's be as well?





	"Why?"

Erik laughed, “What kind of question is  _ that?” _

Finn rolled his eyes before walking up and leaning on the balcony Erik’s made his seat. They’ve found a hotel to stay at that’s out of the prime of the city. Cheap for big-city standards but still nice and with a great room. Nobody cares enough to be overly suspicious of the two, especially with some inside help from Erik. They’d been mapping out what places they’ve searched, the homes of whom they wanted to investigate next, and any back-ups in case anyone in the city led to a dead end. One conversation had led to the next and Erik left abruptly to get some air. Finn followed only a few minutes after, and now there they were. Finn stares at him, serious.

“It’s exactly what I asked.  _ Why? _ What the hell did you do to get those Zone Cops to trail you so persistently? I nearly destroyed every Mobian on this stupid planet and yet with a little cooperation and regret expressed, I was in and out in barely a  _ year!” _

“Ooooh, finally opening up huh? Do tell me more about these  _ regrets!”  _ Erik leans back and looks at him with a sly grin. Finn groans and turns to look out towards the city. His hair, tied up for once, sways a bit with the breeze.

“You know plenty.”

“I do, do I?” Erik says, his voice nearly monotonous with sarcasm.

_ “Yes.” _ Finn glares at him out of the corner of his eye. “You’re sneaky, you  _ must _ listen and seek out rumors like no tomorrow to use to your advantage. Good way to pin people against each other, which you seen to  _ love _ doing. With that in mind, there’s plenty of rumors about me and enough truth in each of them for you to make your own, somewhat accurate picture.”

Erik sighs, “ _ Touché.” _

“With that out of the way, back to my original question?” Finn says in a way that shows he’s certainly not asking approval to move back to that topic. Erik grows irritated, rolling  _ his _ eyes now, certainly not for the first time that night either.

“Why are you so keen on knowing?”

“Why are you so keen on  _ hiding?” _

The hedgehog bites his tongue, ears flicking back as he slouches a bit, gripping the bar of the balcony. He stares out over the city silently. Finn waits as patiently as he can for Erik to re-engage. Pushing him further would do more harm than good at this point.

They stay that way for a few minutes. Multiple times Erik would open his mouth, suck in a breath to speak, then cut himself off into silence once more. The jackal began to grow tired of this, though perhaps that’s what Erik was betting on.. Which of course, ignited Finn’s stubbornness once more. After all, it’s important for him  to know if this man will bring more trouble than he’s worth by getting his help. He could be a minor felon or an interdimensional warlord for all he knew. Though the latter he seriously doubted..

He’s snapped back to the present again as Erik opens his mouth once more, only this time actual words come out.

“I guess.. I didn’t really do much on my  _ own _ that was a problem with them.. There were a lot of..  _ factors _ ..”

“Oh?” Finn rests his head on his hand, patience worn thin as he figured that was all he was gonna get. It’s all he  _ ever _ got when he tried to ask. Erik nods slowly, “Yeah..” Finn lets out a sigh and turns to leave but freezes as he hears Erik actually continue.

“There was this..  _ scientist.. _ A long time ago he started doin’ experiments on me. I’m not exactly something you see everyday,  _ especially _ in No Zone, so he was curious..” He hesitates and glances over at Finn, accidentally meeting his gaze. He bites his lip before looking back over the city, “Uhhm.. So.. Anyways! Basically he was my caretaker I guess, and uhh..” He speeds up, “ _ Well _ , one day, we set up some bombs around the Zone Jail, would’ve done more but we got caught. Only one went off, blew up an entire sector of the station. 48 casualties.”

Finn nods slowly, brows furrowing as he considers this. But this just raises more questions for him than it answered. He frowns, “Why’d you do it?”

“ _ Pardon?” _

Finn leans on the balcony again, “What made you want to blow up the station? What’d they do to  _ you?” _

Erik stares at the jackal, dumbfounded by these questions. _Why?_ _How? What?_ Wasn’t his previous answers enough for him? He drug out his normal go-to answer, “It was what I was told had to be done.”

“By whom? The scientist?”

“That doesn’t matter—“

Finn grows impatient again, “ _ How can you say that?  _ Of course it matters! What was their motive? Why would they want to attack the Zone Cops? And why were  _ you _ involved?”

“I just  _ was!” _ He opens his mouth to argue more but can’t find the right words before giving up with a huff. He stares at his feet as if searching for an answer in the leather of his boots. Finn  in turn crosses his arms, letting the silence hang for another minute or so. His tail sways gently and eventually he breaks the silence, speaking more calmly, “I never took you for a follower.” The words hung in the air, making both parties tenser. Erik broke the silence.

“He was all I  _ had _ .” He replies quietly.

Finn perked up in surprise. _ That _ caught him off-guard. He watches as Erik grips the balcony again, takes a deep breath and looks out over the city lights once more. How is he supposed to address that? From what little context he has, he can at least understand though. The devotion to keep what little you have close to you, and the will to do whatever it took to keep it that way.

“He was.. a father to me really..” Green eyes clouded with thought don’t budge from the horizon. Finn starts to take in every slight movement, this is something Erik doesn’t talk or probably even  _ think  _ about much, nor does he like to. It’s easy to tell. He continues, “He was really kind.. Taught me everything I know.” He glances at Finn, adding a weak chuckle. Finn notices the blue in his eyes. “He was the head scientist in No Zone, so people respected his choices and decisions, but that didn’t mean they had to like ‘em. So… They never had to like  _ me _ .”

Finn nods slowly. Erik shrugs, “Which I mean.. Sure, whatever. I don’t really care if a bunch of stuffy cops don’t like me. But  _ man! _ If they didn’t hound me like no tomorrow! I was always assumed to be up to no good. But anyways, back to my uh.. Well, my father-sorta.. He never told me about his family outside of the lab, I figured he came to the lab, and to  _ me _ , as a means to escape it.” He smiles a bit at that, drawing a leg close to him. He absentmindedly fiddles with a piece on his boot as he continues, his smile fading, “I remember the day he started changing... Something  _ must _ have happened. He was still kind to me and everything but.. I remember he ran into more problems with the Zone Cops more often. Became more impulsive.. Very wrapped up in his things..”

“What’d you think of that?”

“Honestly..?” He looks at Finn and laughs weakly before shaking his head and turning away again, “It kind of  _ scared  _ me..” he takes a breath, ” _ But _ , he always assured me that it would be alright in the end. He convinced me that the cops were corrupt. That they were god-awful and cruel, messing with things they shouldn’t have been. He told me that if we got his plan right, I’d never have to worry about being separated from him. I wouldn’t be alone..”

“He  _ manipulated _ you..” the Jackal instinctively takes a step closer. Erik doesn’t budge, a newfound pain and sadness in his eyes. He doesn’t respond before switching topics, “In a way he was right about the Zone Cops though! If his plan succeeded, I  _ wouldn’t _ have had to worry about any of that. But, the deed is done I suppose. And No Zone took that as ample opportunity to say they were right about me all along! So now here I am! Under constant surveillance, tested on, locked up in a  _ special  _ cell.. They never even  _ tried  _ to rehabilitate me..”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t waste your breath on it.” He lets out an irritated sigh. Finn stays there awkwardly, not sure what to say next before Erik let’s out a curt laugh.

“ _ What?” _

“It’s just so stupid... I always wanted attention, and yeah surface level is great, if I can cause shit and get my name around, sweet! Love it! But I mean I’ve always  _ truly  _ wanted that personal level again.. And now here I am, with the opportunity before me and I just..” He trails off before laughing sadly, “ _ God.. What am I doing, Finn..? I don’t have any purpose..” _

Finn hesitates, he hasn’t been placed in a situation like this for years. There’s a lot to take in too, he can’t just leave him hanging like this. His pulse quickens as the realization of how much trust Erik’s put into him by spilling so much all at once. He softly rests his hand on Erik’s shoulder, steadying both himself and Erik who lets out a heavy sigh. 

“ _ Wow..  _ I must seem pretty embarrassing right now..”

“You’re not.”

“It’s pathetic.”

“Having faults, doubts, and  _ feelings  _ doesn’t make you pathetic. Putting it simply, I learned that the hard way.” Finn stares at him, a sympathetic gleam in his eyes. Erik glances back, seemingly studying the jackal as if he were expecting something else, a catch perhaps. But there was none to be found, and soon he finally relaxes under Finn’s grip. Finn moves a step closer and places his other hand on Erik’s arm, drawing his attention back.

“Don’t think about No Zone or your status. Right now, you and I are just searching for my squad. And, I couldn’t be more appreciative of your help. Just..  _ One day at a time. Focus on that for now.. _ ”

He nods quietly, “I..  _ Suppose _ that’s as good of a plan as any for now..”

Finn hums his approval and the two fall into an easy silence. They watch the city life bustle as the night peaks, not really needing to talk much more after everything. They both end up sorta sagging against each other, drained. For the first time in years, Erik finds himself comfortable with the silence. And, for once, his mind isn’t working against him. Now he can actually start thinking about more important things.

An example?  _ Well _ , he’s begun to grow rather  _ fond _ of the Jackal standing beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thats kinda Gay Erik


End file.
